World Cup Moments

Magical Jay Jay is 53 years old today

He’s so good that named him twice was the aphorism which captured the celestially-endowed prodigious and artistic football skills of Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, when he landed in England with aplomb after years of sojourn in Germany, Turkey and France. He would eventually become a Bolton Wanderers legend. This prompted many pundits to suggest that he should have come to the Premier League earlier because the best of Jay Jay, even though he was in the twilight of his career, was at Bolton.

Jay Jay dribbling skills, canon shots, on-point free kick projectiles and even hurling throws from the touchlines compared with the best in the business. Jay Jay is reputed to have mentored Ronaldinho at PSG.

Jay Jay Okocha was a quintessential player in the period regarded as the golden generation of Nigerian football and the walked the talk by qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time ever in 1994. There was a repeat in 1998 and 2002, all of which Jay Jay featured in a total of 9 matches. In between, he represented Nigeria at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and came home with the gold medal, in a run that included back to back victories over Brazil and Argentina.

Nigeria also hadn’t won the Africa Cup of Nations since 1980 but the 1994 team, in which Jay Jay was a fulcrum brought back the cup to Nigeria but lost the 2000 final edition on penalties to Cameroon. Silly and selfish dictatorial military politics of the late Nigerian autocrat, Sani Abacha, precluded Nigeria from the 1996 and 1998 AFCON, in a period most people agree Nigeria would have walked to the AFCON titles almost unchallenged.

Jay Jay won the UEFA Inter Toto Cup with PSG and was runner-up in the English League Cup.

Happy 52nd birthday Jay Jay

Champions.

Côte d'Ivoire's Salomon Kalou is 41 today and still counting

Salomon Kalou could have played for The Netherlands OnsOranje had there been an approval for the fast tracking of his application to become a citizen of the country that has one of the richest football histories in the world.

He would, however, return to the country of his birth, Cote D'Ivoire and play in 2 World Cups in 2010 and 2014, playing 6 matches and scoring 1 goal.

His failure to secure the citizenship of The Netherlands catalyzed his movement to Chelsea, where he won the EPL, 4 FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League. He would also become an Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.

Today, Salomon Kalou turns 40 years.

With Concacaf – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

With CONMEBOL.com – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Nadav Milton Dingalo, Mohammad Shamil

Clear and present opposition from UEFA, Concacaf and AFC force FIFA to scrap $20 billion World Cup sale to private investors

FIFA has scrapped $20 billion World Cup sell-off plan, New York Post reports FIFA's plan to sell a piece of its business empire to outside investors has collapsed following an open revolt by soccer officials ​worldwide and a major rift among top FIFA executives, the New ‌York Post reported on Friday.

Is Gianni Infantino infantile for daring to sell everybody's property: football and the World Cup? While he's still grandstanding that he's not selling football, UEFA and Concacaf have kicked against the mega billions. Where will CAF, CONMEBOL.com, OFC and AFC stand? This will not leave Infantino unscathed after all the controversial shenanigans of the World Cup.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cwyg5887vp3o

homepage CALENDARIO❮ ❯ EL CONGRESO / FINANZAS VAR

The world of football has lost a colossus and a legend in Franco Baresi, who won gold, bronze and silver at the 1982,1990 and 1994 World Cups respectively, has just passed away at 66 years.

Baresi was one of the greatest defenders that has played football on this earth. At the start of his career, he was nicknamed Piscinin, Milanese lingo for someone little in size but the little man became a defensive giant and got re-nicknamed Kaiser Franz, a reference to Franz Beckenbauer, the legendary German defender whose nickname was Der Kaizer.

For that petite frame, Inter Milan rejected him as a player but accepted his older brother, Giuseppe, who played 559 times for Inter. Baresi was nonetheless accepted by city rivals, AC Milan, where he spent all of his 20-year, trophy-ladened career revolutionizing the art of defending as a powerful, pacy, hard tackling sweeper or libero, who launched attacks from the deep in over 700 games. Rather rich for a lad born on a farm who didn't watch football until he was ten years old.

Baresi was in the Italy Italiana team to the 1982, 1990 and 1994 World Cup winning a medal each time including the winner's medal in 1982. His number of matches were restricted to ten basically because he didn't play in 1982 in view of the presence of another defensive giant, Gaetano Scirea, who was chosen ahead of him. In 1994, he was injured after the second game, went for a keyhole surgery and returned in time for the final game against Brazil.

Baresi won six Serie A titles and three Champions League, the first 2 being when the tourney was known as European Campions Cup. He was Balon d'Or runner-up in 1989.

Fare thee, well the little big man with a wry grinyyy

Zizou named new head coach of France

World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane named head coach of France men’s national team | CNN Zinedine Zidane has been named as the new head coach of France for the next four years, the French Football Federation announced on Tuesday.